The Ice Queen - A Code: Veronica Story
by BGShepard
Summary: What is fear? Everyone on this planet fears something to some degree... and Claire Redfield will soon re-discover what true fear is when she is held at the mercy of Alexia Ashford. This story is set after the Antarctic escape with Steve but before Chris finds her gooed up behind a wall. What happened to her during that time?


***** Author's Note: Contains Adult Language, Violence, and Suggestive Themes *****

**The Ice Queen – A Code: Veronica X Short**

**Ashford Mansion**

**Antarctica**

**January 3****rd**** 1999**

**_… drip…_**

The darkness inside of her mind was overpowering as the horrid blackness began consuming her spirit, sapping whatever strength that had remained within her. The sound in the distance seemed to echo within her ears, sending the foreboding noise further into the depths of her dreams. The darkness **_always_** seemed to amplify sound, something she knew quite intimately from her youth. She hated the dark; hated it ever since she was seven-years-old and had fallen down an old abandoned well behind her parents' home. For hours she had lain at the bottom with a sprained ankle surrounded by the unyielding darkness while she waited there helplessly. Her cries for help had been muted due to the depth in which she had fallen. Terror and pain had been her only companions, and she'd had no choice but to remain still and pray that someone would come to her rescue.

**_… drip…_**

That day had been the longest day in her life. After the long hours had passed and the evening sky had turned dark with the final setting of the sun, she had begun to cry. The hope that she had stored up within hear heart had begun to die, and with the onset of night, she could see nothing now save for a faint star in the distant sky above. The sound of summer in the field soon became a menacing tormentor as its pitch began to reverberate down the walls of the old well. She had curled up into a ball and lain there trembling at every noise until she heard her name being called frantically in the distance above her. The voice was unmistakable – **_he_** had found her; her big brother… her hero. Ever since she was old enough to remember, she had always admired him. He had been there throughout her life to look out for her no matter what. She was his baby sister, and he protected her with the fierceness and love that only a big brother could have. That night had been no different, and in the years that followed, he had tried his best to help her overcome that fear she had developed when it came to the dark.

_"Look there Claire Bear. You see? There's nothing to be afraid of. The darkness can't hurt you... it's your mind that twists it into fear. Once your mind is calm, you can conquer it… I know you can."_

**_… drip…_**

For years after that terrifying ordeal, she had believed him… trusted him. That was until that fateful night three months ago when she had traveled to Raccoon City in her search to find him. It was there in that cursed town that she had rediscovered the meaning of fear and terror that the darkness held – that the night **_did_** have monsters that roamed within its shadows.

It had been a hard lesson to learn – and if he hadn't taught her how to survive after their parents had died… she would have died there, too. During the fight to stay alive she had used her brother's words and strength as comfort and as a shield to guard her as she, Leon, and Sherry made there way through the city. Even though she had survived that night, she had never fully conquered the fear. Now, it was finding her again. Again, she was that little girl trapped in the well.

**_… drip…_**

That sound again. She hadn't been able to escape from its echoes for a while now. How long had she been here? Where was she? The questions began battling amongst themselves in her unconscious mind as she desperately tried to come to terms with her current situation. The last thing she had remembered what making her escape with Steve in one of the snow trucks. They had been on their way to an Australian research outpost to escape from Alfred Ashford and the mutations that dwelled within his frozen mansion when they had been attacked by… something. It was something she couldn't describe. After that, the darkness had been her only companion.

**_… drip…_**

_Wake up, Claire!_ Her conscious mind began to rise up through the haze as her thoughts came into focus. Waking up was the only way to discover what had happened to her… and to Steve. Where was Steve?

Stirring from the dark slumber that held her captive, Claire Redfield slowly opened her eyes. Immediately, the light she had so desperately sought to save her from the clutches of the dark blinded her with its glare. Quickly closing her eyes, she silently prayed that the throbbing in her head would dissipate once she grew accustomed to the brightness. When she was brave enough, she slowly squinted and allowed her vision to adjust to the hue that enveloped her. She was in some type of dark room. Suspended above her was a single light bulb that bathed her entire body in its dim glow.

As Claire took a moment to gage her surroundings, she noticed a small cart one would see in an operating room sitting just outside of the light beam. On it, she could make out various tools – a knife, a razor, an acetylene torch, a pair of pliers… and a saw! The fear began gnawing at her once more as her eyes turned to the wall behind it. There, she could see other nefarious implements hanging from hooks in the shadows. Her eyes widened and a startled gasp escaped her lips. She was in some type of torture room!

Not only was that a serious concern for her, but she also realized that she couldn't move. Initially, she had tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't cooperate. Looking down, Claire noticed that they had been bound with rope just above her knees. And that wasn't the only place – she also couldn't move her feet as she felt the same material holding her legs together just above her ankles. Her upper body was in no better a predicament. Her arms were bound to the back of the chair she was seated in, and her wrists were tied together. After struggling against the rope for a full minute in an attempt to ascertain if there was a weakness in her bindings, she soon gave up her efforts. Whom ever had tied her up had done a thorough job; she wasn't going anywhere. She felt her heart begin to beat faster in her chest at her helpless predicament.

**_… drip…_**

Claire turned her head towards the sound and noticed that a bucket of water sat in the corner of the room underneath an old spigot. Every few seconds a new drop would hit the water-laden container, causing the drop's echo to reverberate throughout the room. Her captor obviously wanted her as uncomfortable as possible. With that, she closed her eyes and tried to get a grip on her emotions as the ever-growing sensation of fear was clutching at her throat like a hand from the dark.

_"Fear is only a weapon if you allow it to be used against you."_ Chris had told her one night as he held her hand in the darkness of her room. He had stayed with her as it had been the first night she had attempted to quietly sit and try to master that same fear that was coming for her now.

Claire attempted to draw her strength by recalling his words. Already she had felt her breathing increase as the panic set in after she had discovered what this room was used for. Once she had taken a few deep breaths, she calmed down enough to begin assessing the state of her body. She was obviously disoriented; her thirst was beginning to grow, and she was probably suffering from a concussion after the snow truck was attacked. Her skull had hit the ceiling of the vehicle as she was thrown about like a rag doll. Her head still had that dull ache and dizzy feel to it. She would be no match for whom ever her foe was unless she was able to steel herself.

Quickly, her thoughts turned to Sherry Birkin. Before she had left her with Leon, Claire had made a promise to the little girl that she would return to her… and she silently vowed at that moment that she would. Then there was her brother Chris whom she had been trying to track down for months. She wouldn't allow these people to stop her from finding him. She would endure… no matter what.

Suddenly, a sound in the distance caught her attention. Squinting through the light, she attempted to look out into the blackness that surrounded her position. It sounded like heavy breathing. Were they holding Steve in here with her? Was he alright?

"Steve…?" She whispered into the chamber. "Is that you? Steve?" A hiss soon greeted her query, causing her skin to goose-prickle at the terrifying sound… a sound that was all-too-familiar.

Movement in the distance caught her eye, and the dark shape slowly lumbered in her direction. The click of toenails on the old stone floor echoed with each step the creature took. As it approached the light, she could see its dark green face, yellow eyes, and large shoulders. The claws on its fingers were razor sharp and shimmered brightly. Claire felt her eyes widen as she drew in a deep breath and gasped. The monster was coming towards her and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Suddenly, she heard additional sounds, and the Hunter was soon joined by a second. Together, the two menacing creatures slowly stalked towards her. Pulling against her bindings, Claire tried desperately to break free, but nothing would cause the ropes to give. Both stood in front of her and opened their mouths, sporting their sharp, pointed teeth oozing with saliva. She closed her eyes and grimaced as their hot breath fell upon her face.

"Enough!" Came a feminine voice in the distance.

Immediately, the creatures stopped and to her surprise, began to back away. Claire's attention then turned towards the source of the voice and saw a shadowy outline of a woman standing in the doorway surrounded by the white light from the hall. Slowly, the mysterious figure began walking into the room; the sound of her heeled shoes echoing off of the floor.

"Leave us," the woman said. Her voice had been soft, yet firm. Whatever was going on here, she had obvious influence over these Hunters as they both turned and left the chamber without a second's pause. The door then closed leaving the two of them alone together.

The mysterious woman slowly approached and stopped just outside of the light beam. From what Claire could see, she was wearing a lovely dress made of violet and lavender material. Her arms and hands were covered by white gloves and around her waist was a leather corset that lay just under her breasts. For a brief moment, she thought the woman standing there was some type of European princess.

"Who… who are you?" She asked cautiously.

The woman responded by slowly walking into the light so Claire could see her fully. She had long blonde hair and a complexion beyond beautiful. Her fair skin was completely flawless, but it was her eyes that drew her gaze. They were deep blue like pools of water on a summer lake – eyes that she recognized. Her own widened in horror when she realized where she had seen them before.

"Alfred? But… But I saw you fall! You died!"

The young woman standing before her then smiled. "No, Claire. I am not my brother; however I understand your confusion given what he has been up to as of late."

Walking up to the chair, she stopped directly before her. "I am Alexia Ashford."

Her mouth dropped open. Alexia? There really was an Alexia Ashford? "But… but I thought that Alfred…"

"You believed that I was merely a figment of my dear brother's imagination?" The woman finished the sentence for her and then smiled in amusement. "No. I am quite real; I have just been asleep for a very long time. My absence must have weighed heavily upon my brother's mind, and I am sure that you saw that he missed me greatly. His love was as genuine as any sibling's could be as he watched over me these long years."

Alexia's smile slowly faded from her pink lips as her eyes leveled at her. "And what do you suppose I found when I finally awoke from my slumber? My brother. He wasn't standing there smiling as I had expected of him; no, he was lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood from a bullet wound – a wound you and your companion gave him!"

The anxiety quickly returned as she looked into the cold, blue eyes of the woman standing before her. "Look, your brother tried to kill us! All we wanted was to escape from his island and from this place! That's all!"

The responding stare was long and provided a very uncomfortable moment. "Claire," she finally said, "do you believe that you excuses will absolve you from what you and Mr. Burnside have taken from me? You then compounded this unforgivable sin by stealing from me and trying to escape before you could answer for what you did. No, I could not allow that to happen; not to my own flesh and blood. That is why I attacked you and brought you back here to my home."

Claire stared back and took a couple of deep breaths in an effort to calm her beating heart. "What… what do you want?" She finally asked. Then another, more important question seized her, causing her temper to flare. "Where's Steve? What have you done with him?"

The blonde woman stood off to her left, and soon she felt a hand grasp her chin and turn her face upwards. Looking down at her, Alexia's eyes pierced into hers.

"You have very beautiful eyes," she said to her with another foreboding smile. "Very defiant eyes. You care more for the fate of others than you do your own well-being. It is an admirable quality, but predictable."

Claire wrested her face from the woman's grasp and stared up at her. The fear she had initially felt had almost completely disappeared as her anger came to the forefront.

"Where is he?"

Alexia Ashford's smile soon turned into a smirk – a look that was beginning to make her blood boil with the arrogance it held.

"Mr. Burnside…" She then paused and arched an eyebrow. "… Steve, is it? He is unharmed for now. He is currently in the company of one of my family's loyal soldiers – the last one to remain after the outbreak here."

Alexia began slowly walking around the chair as her footsteps echoed with each step. Soon she felt a hand run across the length of her left shoulder. "As for your other query – what is it that I want…?"

Suddenly, she felt a hand grasp her ponytail and just as quick her head was yanked back causing her to yelp in surprise. The glare from the light made her wince until a shadow fell over her. When she opened her eyes, she realized that she was only inches away from the woman's face. Even in the shadows, those eyes seemed to burn right through her. At this close proximity, Claire could even smell the Ashford woman's perfume – wild lilac.

"What I want is for you to truly understand and appreciate what it was that you took from me, Claire Redfield."

The woman's grip released itself from her hair, giving her a chance to right herself. Claire caught the woman's movement out of the corner of he eye as her captor walked towards the cart that held the tools on it. Already her breathing had begun to quicken, so she took a moment to remember her brother's calming techniques and quietly took several deep breaths while keeping a tentative eye on Alexia.

"My brother enjoyed the physical elements of inflicting pain upon a victim," the woman said gently as her fingers ran across the pliers, the scalpel, and the knife.

One of the attributes Claire had immediately noticed about Alexia Ashford was that the woman didn't yell to make herself appear more menacing. Her voice was smooth, concise, and controlled. The lack of emotion in her tone was beginning to unnerve her. At least if her captor had been shouting or had showed any signs of rage on her face, she could have anticipated the woman and maybe even have found an advantage to use. Indifference however, was difficult to combat against.

Her eyes widened again when Alexia picked up the saw in her hand and gazed upon it. With the fingers of her right hand, she extended them and gently caressed the steel of the blade from hilt to tip

"He took great pleasure at their cries of agony, and the wounds he was responsible for creating. Perhaps that part was imbued in him from our childhood. When the two of us were but children, we would dismember the limbs of insects and small animals together just to watch them die. The spurting of blood, their shrill cries of pain, watching the life leave their eyes as death finally released them from their torment – all of it had shaped us into who we would become."

Beads of sweat began forming on her brow as she listened to the sadism from the woman standing across from her as she turned the foreboding tool back and forth in her hand. Her eyes remained fixated on the sharp teeth of the blade. Involuntarily, Claire felt a shiver wash over her. The fear was coming back.

"So you…" she took a deep breath, "… plan on torturing me then?"

Gently setting down the saw, Alexia turned around and looked at her with the same passivity on her lovely face. "Yes." She said after a long pause. "But not of your body. While Alfred may have enjoyed inflicting physical injury upon his prisoners, his methods were… inefficient."

Claire had noticed that her breathing had now slowed to a point where she was almost holding her breath as she listened to the woman describe what was about to befall her.

Alexia slowly and methodically walked towards her like a huntress stalking her prey. "Physical scars heal over time. While the pain can be quite intense during the session, eventually it will end and the victim's body shall recover… then the pain disappears completely. In the end, the victim becomes the victor in a sense as they become stronger both mentally and physically."

The woman stopped in front of her legs and softly smiled down at her. "But to scar a victim both mentally and emotionally… well… even though those wounds cannot be seen with the naked eye, they will forever stay with a victim long afterwards for the rest of his… or **_her_** life."

Alexia then leaned over and braced herself by placing her hands on Claire's legs. Looking directly into her eyes, the young woman continued her verbal torment. "Do you know what I find so delicious about my technique, Claire? **_All_** of my victim choose it willingly… and so will you."

_She expects me to willingly let her screw around with my mind? Is she crazy?_ Picking her head up and giving the woman an indignant look Claire replied, "And you really believe that I'm going to just consent to you torturing me? You're insane… just like your brother."

If she had been affected by the comment, Alexia didn't show it. Instead, she straightened up and looked down at her again. "We shall see."

Turning around, the woman walked towards the edge of the light and raised her right hand. On the wall in the distance was a large television monitor five times the size of any TV she had ever seen. It turned on and showed a live feed from another part of Alexia's dungeon. Immediately, she recognized the young man whom the camera was focusing down on.

"Steve…!" She gasped in surprise.

He was strapped from chest to thighs in a seated position against a large cinderblock wall. Occasionally, she saw him struggle against his bindings, but he was obviously trapped… just like she was. Standing off to the side with his arms crossed on his chest was a man dressed in dark brown military fatigues. He was fully equipped with a dark helmet, body armor, and a biohazard mask he wore over his face.

"Where's Claire?" Steve yelled as he turned to look at the silent figure. "Yeah, I know… you can stand there as silent as you want, but just tell me where she is. Is she okay?"

Claire felt her heart flutter as she looked at the young man who had saved her life. Even now, all he could think about was her. When she had first met him back at the prison, she had not been all that impressed. Initially, she had thought him weak and a liability, but somehow he had managed to grow on her. Maybe it was when he had to make the very difficult decision to gun down his zombified father in order to save her life. If he hadn't pulled the trigger when he had, she would have been eaten alive. After that, they had teamed up to escape from the island. Every now and then she would catch him staring at her before he quickly looked away. While her own experiences with men were very few and far between, she could still sense that he had developed a crush on her. _Steve…_ If only they had met at a different time or place and not fighting for their lives against Umbrella's monsters both dead… and alive.

"Mr. Death," Alexia said, "you may begin."

Thrust from her thoughts, Claire turned to look at her captor. "W… what? What are you doing!?"

Shock was the first emotion that came to her, and for the moment even the ability to breathe escaped her. Her eyes had widened in horror while she watched helplessly as the soldier's fist connected with Steve's face. His head rocked to the left causing blood to spray from his nose and spatter on the wall behind him. A pain-filled groan filled the room, but the soldier had already followed up with another… then another… then another.

Through the sheer horror of what she was witnessing, Claire found her voice. **_"NO! STOP IT!"_** She screamed. "Leave him alone you crazy bitch! I'm the one that you want!"

Alexia neither turned nor acknowledged her. The woman's attention was focused solely on the screen before her as she watched the blood-letting with the same passive look in her eyes. Did this woman even feel anything? How could anyone be that cold towards the world and hurt someone as innocent as Steve? Why was she doing this?

The blows continued as did Steve's cries of pain. Claire winced with each strike as the tears she had been trying hard to fight back began to break through her eyes and blur her vision. She was becoming more and more desperate by the moment. Sweat had begun forming on her body despite the coldness of the chamber. She had to stop this; she had to save Steve… but how?

"Please stop!" She begged. A tear ran down her cheek. **_"PLEASE!_** He had nothing to do with any of this! This is between you and me!"

Still nothing. The woman was a stone statute – not moving a muscle as she continued watching the monitor. Steve's face was becoming a bloody mess; he wouldn't last much longer if this didn't stop.

**_"PLEASE!"_** Claire cried again as her eyes continued to tear. A drop ran down either side of her face. "Please, Alexia! I'll do anything!" Her voice then broke as her sobs began to take her. "I'll do anything… please!" She whimpered.

"Stop!" Alexia said to the screen. The man was about to land another punch to Steve's face when his fist stopped in mid-swing at the woman's command. "That is enough for now. You may take your leave, Mr. Death."

Though she continued to softly weep at the inhumane brutality of which she had just witnessed, Claire kept her eyes focused on Steve. He hung there limply against the binding straps that held him securely in place and moaned in pain. Blood was everywhere. His poor face…

"Why?" She cried as Alexia turned and looked at her. "Why?" There was no emotion on the woman's face; no expression… nothing. She was a queen of ice; nothing seemed to faze her in the slightest. Claire's head drooped, and she continued to sob.

"What are you willing to do, Claire?" Alexia asked. Lifting her head back up, she stared silently at her captor. _What did she ask me?_

Alexia walked towards her. This was the first time she had seen the blood-red jewel dangling from the large silver necklace that sat upon the woman's breasts. It sparkled menacingly in the light giving her an almost other-worldly appearance. Stopping just in front of her, the woman continued.

"You believe me a cruel and heartless woman. I can see it in your eyes," she began, "but it is you whom I shall grant the power to decide his fate. What are you willing to do, Claire Redfield? If you are willing to do nothing, then I shall have Steve brought into this chamber and let my Hunters eviscerate him right before your eyes. His screams will keep you company as they eat him alive, but nothing else shall befall you until I decide the time of your release. But... if you are willing to do **_anything_** as you have just promised me, then now would be the opportune time to say so, and I shall leave him be."

The woman's hand found her chin and lifted her face to look at her. The stare of Alexia Ashford's intense blue eyes was unyielding. "What are you willing to do?"

Claire felt her eyes close as new tears ran down her cheeks. She was no match for this woman. That much was clear to her now, but she also knew that she couldn't sacrifice Steve to save herself… she just couldn't. That wasn't how a Redfield was raised. Through the years, her family had proudly looked after their friends and family with a fierce protective instinct… she couldn't count herself as one of them unless she was also willing to do the same for a friend.

"Anything…" she whispered softly as another tear rolled down her cheek. "I'll do anything… please."

The scent of lilac filled her nose once again as the woman's shadow covered her. She could feel her warm breath on her ear. "I know, Claire," she heard her whisper. "I know you will."

Suddenly, she felt the Ashford woman's hands intimately caress the length of her thighs causing her to shudder in fear. Claire looked up at her with a look of complete surprise. What was she doing? Alexia spoke no words – she didn't have to. She simply stared back into her eyes with a silent and suggestive look on her face. _Is she trying to…?_

Her thoughts went blank when she felt the woman's hands rise up over her exposed belly and run over the round softness of her breasts through the fabric of her jacket. Claire turned her head away in disgust. She had never done or even thought about doing anything like… this. Not… not with another woman.

Alexia's fingers found their way to the zipper, and soon she could hear the unmistakable sound as it ran down the length of her front. Once undone, the woman's hands again ran across her breasts as she pushed both halves of the jacket off to the sides exposing the black shirt she wore underneath.

_God help me!_ She thought in panic. Her teeth clenched together as Alexia continued to rub her. _Chris! Please! Where are you!? I need you now more than ever!_

Trying to struggle proved to be of no use to her. The rope held her securely to the chair – there was no escape.

"Now you see," Alexia whispered to her. "**_All_** of my victims choose their fate. You are no different, Claire."

"Please…" she whispered as she shook her head. "Stop…"

Alexia smiled at her before standing and walking towards the cart. Reaching down, she ran her fingers along the various implements scattered upon the tray. After finding what she had been looking for, the woman held it up in front of her so that Claire would be able to see it. Her eyes widened when she gazed up on the straight-edge razor in her hand. Alexia's face held the same smirk she had shown earlier. Back then it had caused her anger to flare… now it was enveloping her with fear.

"Claire," Alexia said gently as she approached her. She then walked behind the chair and soon the shimmer of the blade could be seen out of the corner of her left eye. The woman began to gently caress the back of the blade against her cheek, causing her to wince. Her lips were next to her ear. "You and I… we are going to have so much fun together!"

Slowly the cool kiss of the razor ran over the tear-stained path of her cheek until she felt it descend over her chin and down her neck. Claire was afraid and her body quickly began to tremble. As much as she had tried to fight the fear, Alexia Ashford had kept her off balance and had frustrated her defenses like that of a master sadist. The woman's beauty held a malevolence she had never encountered before. While dealing with the woman's brother had been frustrating, she had only viewed him as an annoyance as she and Steve had worked on their escape. She could not say the same about Alexia. The woman's quiet disposition held a fury and evil so terrifying that Claire began to fear that she had not even scratched the surface of what this woman was capable of.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a soft hand gently caressing her throat. "You are trembling, Claire." The woman whispered to her. Alexia's lips then softly kissed her skin. "Breathe in, love. Go on… slowly."

Surprising herself, Claire took in a deep breath and then exhaled while the woman continued to touch her. Her mind was becoming consumed by the terror that she felt. She had to fight to keep her wits together. While she might be helpless to stop Alexia's current intentions, no matter what happen to her, she could not allow her captor to take her mind.

"Do try and hold still. We certainly do not want to defile your beautiful skin with a cut now do we?"

The hand at her throat slowly ran down to the collar of her shirt and grasped it. Just as quick she could feel the blade cut against the fabric. Slowly… ever so slowly, she heard the shirt begin to tear under the razor's assault. Grimacing in revulsion, Claire turned her head as she felt Alexia's right hand grasp her breast. She wanted to cry out for the woman to stop, but she didn't want to give Alexia the satisfaction. Not now. It was then that she had remembered a small portion of a poem she had read back in high school.

_"When walking through the woods and one encounters wild beasts does he turn and ask them for their grace?"_

There would be no grace to be found here. Alexia Ashford had her trapped and was playing with her like a huntress with her trophy deer. The blade had cut through the shirt past the middle of her chest. A little lower and…

In the distance, the monitor on the wall began to beep. Alexia stopped her motions and slowly withdrew the razor with a frustrated sigh. Setting down the blade, the young blonde walked towards the monitor and raised her hand. The soldier who had beaten Steven appeared on the screen.

"What is it?" Demanded Alexia as she irritably crossed her arms over her chest.

"Umm… sorry to bother you, Lady Alexia," came the man's muted reply. He was still wearing the gas mask she had seen him in earlier. "Radar has picked up a fighter jet on approach to the mansion's airfield."

The man's face was then replaced by an overhead view of a radar map. The fighter appeared as a yellow triangle over the Atlantic Ocean as it continued along a plotted trajectory towards the mansion. Alexia uncrossed her arms and stared at the screen.

"Can you identify the craft?" She asked.

The image on the screen then switched back to the soldier. In the upper-right corner of the monitor was an uploaded image of the jet. To Claire's eyes it appeared to be a Harrier fighter plane.

"It appears to be the second of Lord Alfred's jets from his personal collection on Rockfort Island."

Alexia's eyes narrowed. "Are you able to determine who is piloting it?"

"Give me one second, ma'am," he replied. "I should be able to gain access to the cockpit video feed… there!"

The monitor then switched to the interior of the jet. Claire's eyes widened… both in joy and horror. It was her brother Chris! Leon **_had_** gotten in contact with him after all. Now he was on his way here to rescue her… and flying right into a trap. They knew he was coming. _Chris…!_

"Who is this man?"

Claire had been so focused on the fact that her brother was on his way here that she nearly jumped when Alexia addressed her. Her jaw began to quiver as she looked into the woman's intense stare. She was wilting under the stony gaze… and she hesitated. Her eyes widened in fear; betraying her.

Alexia walked towards her. "I can already see that you recognize him, Claire," she said as her eyes narrowed. "Who is he?"

Her eyes went from Alexia's and then back to the screen – a mistake! Everything she was doing now betrayed her emotions. She was so disoriented from all that had transpired from the crash until now that all she could was silently stare back at her captor. Her jaw involuntarily quivered once again. _What will she do if she finds out?_

The woman's eyes seemed to pierce her to her very soul. "Very well then," she replied and then turned back to the monitor. "Mr. Death, prepare the anti-aircraft missile defense grid. You shall fire on this jet on my command."

Her silence broke. **_"NO! PLEASE!"_** She screamed in desperation.

Alexia turned. "Is there something you wish to confess, Miss Redfield?"

"Please… don't hurt him," she replied softly as new tears began to run down her cheeks. "He's… he's… he's my brother… my brother, Chris. He's only coming here… to look for me… please."

Alexia didn't respond as she continued to stare back with her emotionless expression. Behind her, the video feed of her brother piloting the jet, oblivious to the danger stalking him, continued to run on the monitor. Her eyes went to him; a silent sniff left her nose as she kept her eyes focused on his face. Her big brother… her savior… her hero. He was coming to rescue her… just like he always did. _Chris… forgive me… I was weak… I… I couldn't stand up to her._

"Your brother is coming to my home to save you." Alexia's cold voice took her attention away from the screen. "How sweet of him."

The woman then turned towards the monitor and silently stared. "So many uninvited guests in my house. Perhaps it is time that they were lessened."

Claire suddenly began to feel how cold this chamber was. Whether it was the fact that it was buried beneath the snow and ice, or at Alexia Ashford's presence she couldn't say. Still, the way she had said those words made her shiver.

"W… what… what do you mean?" She asked meekly. Her voice sounded like a scared mouse praying not to be squashed under heel. How far had this woman sunk her spirit? She would soon find out however, that as low as she felt right now, when treading on ice, one could always sink lower.

"Life and death, Claire Redfield," the woman replied as she turned and faced her. "The cycle cannot have one without the other. It creates a natural order to the fabric of nature. Life and death, Claire – and you shall be the one to choose."

Stunned by what she was hearing from her tormentor, her mind began to throb in the throes of a migraine headache. Her thoughts blanked as the cold touch of fear began working its slithering hands up her body to where they began to squeeze against her throat. Her heartbeat was a bass drum as it pounded against her ears. It was as if her brain knew what was coming and was shutting down to try and protect itself… and her from the storm that was about to fall."

"No…" she whispered.

Alexia smiled. "Life and death." She pointed at the screen behind her. "Your brother…" The image then switched to Steve. He was still in the same position he had been left in earlier; still covered in his own blood. "… or your friend? Choose one to live… and one to die."

Claire stared at the woman in absolute horror. Alexia wanted her to choose between her love for her brother and the budding friendship she had developed with Steve, a boy who was in love with her. _My God!_ She thought. _How… How can I make a choice like that? I… I can't!_

"No!" She replied. "No… please! Take me in their stead. My life is the one you want! Kill me… just leave them both out of this. Please… I'll give myself to you willingly."

Alexia slowly walked up to her and took her chin in hand, lifting up her face. "Such a noble creature," she said. "I know that you would gladly trade your life for theirs. You are a woman who loves – that is why I chose **_you._** A person who loves has a spirit that is harder to break, but when they do, they shatter completely until there is nothing left."

"Please…" She whimpered again. She was not above begging for the lives of those she cared about. "… don't make me do this."

"All the same, you **_shall_** choose, Claire."

"No…"

"You shall choose, because if you do not, I shall have them both killed before your very eyes."

"No!" She cried as she shook her head and cried. **_"NOOOOOO!"_**

"Who shall live, Claire? I shall count to five. If you do not answer me by the time I reach the end of my count, then you condemn them both by your inaction."

The look of her captor was like ice. There was no reasoning with her; no pleading or bargaining would do. She was intent on forcing her to make an impossible choice. Chris… or Steve.

"One…"

In a panic, her eyes went to the monitor on the wall. Chris was in the cockpit checking his instruments before he leveled his gaze towards his objective. The look in his eyes was full of determination – he was planning on finding her no matter what. Suddenly, she felt herself back in the bottom of that well.

_"Claire!"_ He had yelled down to her from above.

She had been so scared, tired, and thirsty that she had almost not been able to reply. _"C… Chris? Chris, is that you!?"_

_"I'm here, Claire Bear! I'm going to get you out of there. I promise,"_ he had replied. _"I need to go back to the house and get Mom, Dad, and some rope. Don't worry. I'm coming back for you!"_

_"No! Don't leave me, Chris! Please! I… I'm too scared to be alone!"_

She hadn't been able to see his face; only the silhouette of his head peering down into that dark hole. _"Claire! Listen to me! The only way I can get you out of there is to get help. I know where you are, and I will be back. You have to trust me. Stay brave just a little bit longer, Sis!"_

He **_had_** come back just as he'd promised along with her mother and father as well as several townspeople who had aided in the search. When they had finally pulled her out of that place, the first person she had gone to was her big brother as she wrapped her arms around him and sobbed… her hero.

"Two…"

The screen flashed to Steve. He had begun moving his head and was looking around the room.

Images of being trapped under the large hand of Alfred Ashford's giant Bandersnatch came to the forefront of her mind. The creature had grabbed her head and was ready to kill her until Steve had jumped through the window above and began shooting the creature so she could escape. He had saved her life. Not just there, but all throughout the mansion. So many times she would have died if he hadn't been there to protect her. They had relied on each other… and she knew he was relying on her now.

"Three…"

Terrified, her mind went back to Raccoon City. She hadn't heard from her brother in months. He hadn't responded to her calls, her letters, her email… nothing. It was as if he had dropped off the face of the earth, and that had frightened her. He had never shut her out before – not like that. So she had embarked on a quest to find him, but had instead found a new meaning for the word fear in that dead city.

She had escaped with Leon and Sherry, but she had immediately picked right up where she had left off – looking for her big brother. Now he was on his way here to rescue her from this hell, and his life was now hanging in the balance. Only she could save him.

"Four…"

Steve… he hadn't deserved any of this. His father might have been the one who had stolen secrets from Umbrella, but witnessing the death of his mother when their soldiers arrived? His subsequent imprisonment in Alfred Ashford's penitentiary alongside his dad? He had never deserved that fate. He was more innocent than anyone else on this entire island… including her.

The count was almost up. Her head ached, and her heart was pounding against her chest as the grip of fear made the process of thinking or breathing painful with each breath she drew in. The monitor quickly became blurred as her tears began to distort the faces of her brother and friend. What could she do? This choice… it was impossible!

"Five…"

Time seemed to freeze for a moment when she heard the awful word. The count was up and a choice would have to be made or both of them would die.

Shutting her eyes as tight as she could she screamed a name.

**_"CHRIS! CHRIS!_**… I want…" She began to sob as images of her brother began to play in her mind. Her voice was a defeated whimper. "I want Chris… to live…"

Silence greeted her response. For a moment, she thought that Alexia hadn't heard her, but when she looked up; she saw a large smile on the woman's face. Claire was too spent to even feel anger at the look of triumph – triumph over the fact that Alexia Ashford had defeated her, beaten her… crushed her – both mind and spirit.

"And who is it that shall die?"

The words echoed through the chamber walls. Looking at Alexia, her face pleaded for her. "Please… Don't… Don't do this… I beg you… please!"

"A name, Claire, or I shall have them both killed!"

She shut her eyes and shook her head from side to side. Thrashing herself in the chair as she pulled futilely against her bindings, Claire felt her anger and fear roll together becoming one; creating a bitter spot in her heart that burned like nothing she had ever felt before.

**_"A NAME!"_** Alexia said loudly, bringing her attention back.

There was no choice. "Steve…" she said softly. "Steve Burnside."

"Mr. Death," she heard Alexia say. "Cancel the missile strike and allow the fighter to land. He is not to be molested is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Her choice was over, and it was here and now that Claire finally understood what Alexia had meant by emotional scarring. That was why she had refused to torture her physically as she had first feared. If she had known what would befall her; what she would have to do she would have welcomed it… just like the woman had said. She was so angry… so defeated… so tired.

"Damn you!" She uttered softly. "Damn you! Damn you, damn you, damn you!"

"Now you understand… don't you, Claire?"

She was full of fury. The fear was still there, but the rage was building itself up in her heart. She lifted her head up and was about to scream her curses at the woman when suddenly Alexia's hands were upon her face and immediately her captor's lips pressed roughly against hers. Surprise found her as she soon felt the woman's tongue enter her mouth. When she was finally able to comprehend what was happening, she began shaking her head to release Alexia's grip. Finally, she was able to break free.

"You bitch!" She screamed at the woman. "What did you…!"

Almost immediately she felt her head swim with a wave of dizziness. Her stomach began to lurch in her belly, and the roof of her mouth started to burn. The woman had done something to her!

"What… what have you," Claire stammered as tried to catch her breath. "What have you… done to me?"

Alexia stood before her and smiled. "I have given you a little gift for our time together. A part of the T-Veronica virus that courses through my body now runs in your veins, Claire Redfield. In less than an hour, your body will succumb to the infection, and you will become my willing slave. When that happens…" The woman's smile grew wide. "Well… you and I will resume where we left off."

"Never!" Claire heard herself yell. "**_NEVER!_** I'll **_NEVER_** be your slave! I **_WILL_** fight you, and I will **_KILL_** you, you bitch!"

"Interesting." Alexia replied. "My father said those exact same words to me. They did not help him either. Good-bye, Claire. I shall see you in my bedchamber shortly."

Suddenly, her head lolled to the side as the infection spread through her body. The room began to shift with her until Claire felt the chair hit the floor, and her head smack against the cold stone. In the distance she could see Alexia walking towards the door leaving her where she lay. When it was opened, the two Hunters she had dismissed earlier were waiting for her like obedient slaves. Was that what this woman hoped she would become – a mindless sycophant waiting to be given orders? No… She couldn't allow that to happen.

The world was beginning to grow dim. The darkness was again searching for its victim who had escaped from its clutches all those many years ago down in that well. She could almost hear it hiss her name. It was back… and it wanted her! Looking towards the light, she could just make out Alexia's voice as it echoed in the distance.

"Take her and string her up in the atrium. I wish for her brother to get a good look at what he is up against before I meet with him. Under no circumstances is she to be harmed; her life belongs to me. As for Mr. Burnside… I shall deal with him myself."

The woman then made her exit as the two grotesque creatures lumbered towards her. The darkness was closing in; she had failed. The click of toenails echoed throughout the chamber as the monsters grew closer. Her heart ached… ached because she had condemned a friend to death… because she hadn't been strong enough to protect him. She would never forgive herself… nor Alexia Ashford for what had happened here.

"Steve…" she whispered weakly. Her eyes fluttered; she was so tired. "Steve… Forgive me…"

Her eyes then closed… and the darkness took her.

**_*****_** **_THE END *****_**


End file.
